


The Fight

by Emily_F6



Series: Penny Parker Prompts [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Female Peter Parker, Gen, Penny Parker - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26159209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_F6/pseuds/Emily_F6
Summary: Prompt: After a fight with Tony, Penny is injured while fighting with the Avengers
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Penny Parker Prompts [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899553
Comments: 5
Kudos: 204





	The Fight

It was hard to put everything together...hard to remember the sequence. Penny’s head pounded and she pushed a hand down onto the concrete only to give up, screaming in pain when her wrist sent a sharp jolt of pain up her body. Broken. It was broken. Or...maybe it was her arm. It was hard to pinpoint, but pain went up and down her right arm. She was laying on the floor...on her stomach. Blood dribbled down her ilps. Her head ached...she had to remember what had happened.

He’d told her to get out. Well...not in so many words. She remembered that she had been tired and he had been frustrated and she hadn’t been sleeping.

He’d never told her to get out before.

Pressing a hand to her mouth, she took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. He hated her. She’d done something stupid and now...now he hated her. And why shouldn’t he? It had been a simple request...don’t patrol after midnight. Reasonable. Her aunt would have given her the same rule had she known about the late night (early morning) patrolling. Of course, Mr. Stark knew how to check on her suit how often she patrolled. May didn’t even know about the suit. Or patrols. Or Spider-Girl.

She’d gone over to the tower after school that afternoon. Friday. Was it still Friday? She wasn’t sure. She wasn’t wearing her mask. When had she lost that? It was dark in the room where she lay on her stomach, one arm wrapped around her ribs, the other limp at her side. She had to focus. Had to figure out where she was...what had happened. Her whole body felt heavy and everything hurt...why was it so hard to remember? Mr. Stark...she’d seen Mr. Stark and then Captain America and then...this room. Closing her eyes and struggling to find a position that didn’t hurt her ribs, she tried to remember.

Happy had picked her up, surprising her after school. “Get in, kid. The boss wants to see you.” And Mr. Stark had been waiting in the empty lobby of the tower, jaw tight, arms crossed. It was her last day of school before Christmas break, so she guessed he’d already shut down the company for the holidays. He always gave his employees time off...but now he was...upset? Uncomfortable and unhappy. Angry, maybe. There had been a lot of emotions on his face, none of them good, and he’d gestured for her to follow him into the elevator. She had, confused and trying to work out why she was even there. She hadn’t spoken to him in weeks...maybe more than a month.

The question had finally come when they’d reached the main floor...the living room. He had turned to her, arms crossed, looking...worried? She couldn’t remember. She just remembered feeling so tired and so wrung out. “So, care to tell me where you were last night?”

“Um...what?” She had asked, rubbing a hand over her face. She hadn’t seen him in a long time...the Avengers were trying to get back together and she knew that he was busy...so she hadn’t seen him in...a month? No...longer than that. She’d seen him after Homecoming, and after she’d turned him down, refusing the spot he’d offered, he’d been...distant. Always busy. She’d get the occasional text and she still left voicemails for Happy, but she hadn’t actually seen the man since that day after her dance. She tried to pretend that didn’t bother her...that she hadn’t been expecting and hoping for more.

“Where were you. Last night?” He had repeated.

“I was...at home.” She’d told him, nervous about lying but not about to tell the truth. That would have meant telling him about the nightmares and the way she’d wake up, paralyzed, staring at the concrete stacked on top of her until it all dissipated and then she could breathe again. She hadn’t been ready to tell him about that. Not yet.

“You see, I know you’re lying to me. Now, want to know how I know?” She hadn’t...not really. At the moment, all she’d wanted to do was lay down and maybe cry, considering how emotional she’d been since the nightmares had gotten worse and worse, and since sleep paralysis had been thrown into the mix. She’d googled it after the first time...and hadn’t had any luck finding a cure for it.

“Mr. Stark…” She’d started, although she’d had no idea what she could say.

“I know because I gave a fourteen-year-old child a superhero-suit, and so, I put a curfew in it.”

“Mr. Stark…” She had tried again, but he’d continued talking over her.

“I made the curfew midnight, because hey, I’m not your dad, right? I think we can all agree to that much.” She had sighed, lips pressed tightly together. She had been so tired...so absolutely exhausted. She hadn’t slept in what felt in days and she had been doing her best to cope but him snapping at her hadn’t helped. “So, and I’m just curious here, why exactly did I get an alert at 3am this morning that you were out patrolling?”

“I didn’t know I had a curfew.” She had grumbled. That had been her first mistake. She should have talked to him. Tried to explain.

But she hadn’t wanted to talk about it. Hadn’t wanted to look her hero in the eye and tell him that she had been having nightmares so bad that they spilled over...that when she woke up, it felt like the concrete was still piled on top of her and she could see it and she couldn’t move or breathe or scream for help and she just wanted someone to hold her and tell her that it was going to be okay! But he wasn’t her dad. Didn’t even seem to want to be her mentor. So she hadn’t said any of that.

“You’re a child that I’m responsible for, so...yeah. You have a curfew. What were you doing patrolling at 3am?” She had bristled at his tone. He wasn’t her father...he’d said it himself. Why did he care? Unfortunately, she’d said that out loud.

“What do you care? You’re not my father. You’re barely my mentor.” She’d been so tired. So frustrated. And she hadn’t been wrong, exactly. She hadn’t seen the man in so long. And it had bothered her. A lot. Hurt her. “I haven’t seen you in months. You obviously don’t care what I do as long as I’m not breaking any ferries. So...why do you care if I patrol late?”

He’d stared at her for a moment, jaw tight. She’d squirmed at the uncomfortable silence, hands clenched into fists at her sides as she’d glared at the floor, refusing to meet his eyes. “I care because I’m responsible for you.” Mr. Stark had told her, voice carefully even. But she’d been so tired...so hurt. She couldn’t sleep and she apparently wasn’t allowed to blow off steam by patrolling, so, she’d opened her mouth and more stupid crap had come out.

“No, you’re not. I’m not an Avenger. I’m not your intern. You’re obviously not interested in being my mentor or boss or whatever. So...don’t worry about it. I can take care of myself.”

He’d nodded, licking his lips and sniffing, not looking at her for a moment. She’d glanced at him but quickly dropped her eyes back down to the floor. She’d known that she was being a brat! She’d known that! But she hadn’t been able to stop. “Is that what you think?” She’d refused to meet his eyes, glaring at the floor, hating herself. “Fine. Happy will take you home.” He’d told her, waving a hand, then turning and leaving.

She’d fought the urge to call out...to apologize. He probably would have let her. Laying on the concrete floor, shivering from the cold, she wondered why the hell she hadn’t just called out to him. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry...Mr. Stark, I can’t sleep I’m so tired I need help please…” It wouldn’t have been so hard. He would have turned around and put a hand on her shoulder and...fixed it! He was Tony Stark! He could fix anything. Instead, she’d stormed out.

Thankfully, they’d been at the tower and not the compound, so instead of going out front and getting a ride home from Happy like he’d told her to, she’d gone out the side door, telling FRIDAY to let Happy know that she’d find her own way home. It wasn’t that far, and she’d been angry and sad. And tired.

She’d changed into her spider suit a few blocks away, climbing onto the nearest roof and, curling up into a ball, she’d cried. Knees to her chin, lips trembling, she’d sobbed. Mr. Stark hated her. He had to. She’d been awful and rude and ungrateful and now he’d never speak to her again and she’d never get to be an Avenger. Mask in hand, she’d hid behind a short hall-wall on one of the taller buildings, making sure no one could see her before giving into the urge to just cry.

Had May known, she would have gotten her help. Had Mr. Stark known, he would have to. She knew this! Knew that, if she could just bring herself to say the words, someone would help her. Instead, she’d cried alone, clutching her mask in her hands, until she was finally cried out, but no less exhausted. That was when she had finally pulled her mask back over her face.

“Penny, you appear to be in distress. Is everything alright?” She’d sniffed, resting her head on the dirty brick wall behind her.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” She’d told the AI shortly. It had only been a few seconds later that she’d caved. “Mr. Stark hates me.” Penny had confided. She’d needed to tell someone.

“I’m sure he does not hate you, Penny.” Karen had soothed. She loved Karen...but Mr. Stark had made her. Would he take her away now?

“Just...is there any crime going on?” She’d asked, climbing up onto the half wall and crouching, webshooters ready to take her wherever she wanted to go. She hadn’t wanted to talk about it. Hadn’t wanted to think about Mr. Stark all but kicking her out of the tower.

Okay, so he hadn’t actually said the words. But she’d seen his face before he’d turned away. He’d been upset with her and she didn’t blame him. She hated herself too.

Someone in the hallway...footsteps brought her back to the grim present. But she couldn’t get up. Her ribs were broken...every movement made her chest burn, like someone was sitting on her. Someone heavy. Coughing and gasping, she flinched at the sight of the blood on the floor. She was coughing up blood...that couldn’t be good. She was no doctor, but she knew that much. She needed to figure out what was wrong...broken arm or wrist...she knew that much. Broken ribs. Tired. She was tired and sluggish...they’d drugged her.

The door opened after a moment, and she looked up to find a man she’d never seen before grinning down at her. Closing her eyes, she dropped her head back down onto the floor. The kick to her stomach came only seconds later, and the scream that escaped her mouth was breathless. Weak. Like a child. Not like a superhero. She wanted to be a superhero.

“Wake up, Spider-brat.” The man snapped, and she gasped for air, the wheezing noise coming from her chest more worrying than the pain in her arm. Her breathing felt wet and only got harder as she gasped for the air that didn’t want to come. It hurt...every breath was painful and difficult and she missed the time when breathing had been easy. “Get her up.” She didn’t know who the man was talking to, but suddenly two people were at her sides, grabbing her arms and yanking her up. She screamed again when one of them jostled her broken arm, pain taking over every part of her brain until she was shoved into a chair. Sitting up put pressure on her ribs and she groaned, leaning her head back and trying to shift enough so that she could breathe easily again. It didn’t work. “So...you’re the Spider freak.” She didn’t have a response. Couldn’t get her lungs to work right. How long had she been there? “Call him.” He ordered someone. Who?

It had been nearly five in the evening when Karen had interrupted her moping on a rooftop to tell her she had an incoming call...from Steve Rogers. “What?” She’d asked dumbly, standing up from where she’d been sitting on the rooftop. “Um...yeah...yeah….answer it, Karen!”

“Spider-Girl?” The voice had come from her mask without video, and for a moment, she’d been dumbfounded.

Captain America and the rest of the rogue Avengers had been pardoned weeks ago...right around the last time she’d heard from Mr. Stark. She’d met the Captain as Spider-Girl once since then while on patrols...he’d been nice, but she wasn’t sure how he had her number. “Um...yes sir, Mr. Captain America...sir.” She’d stammered.

“Agent Romanoff and I are nearby and we could use some help.”

“Of course!” She’d cried, eyes huge as she’d jumped up from her spot on the roof, climbing onto the ledge, webshooters ready.

“Your AI can lead you to us.” With that, she’d jumped, shooting a web at the nearest building and swinging. “We’ve got three arms dealers with alien tech. We tried to contact Iron Man but he’s not answering.” She had known why...well...she’d suspected why. But she hadn’t thought it was her place to say anything...besides, it had been embarrassing. So she’d kept her mouth shut, focusing on swinging toward the dot on her display. “They’re meeting in this warehouse, and we’re trying to keep them contained. Very few civilians are in this area, but we want to make sure no one gets hurt. Falcon is on his way, but we could use some extra hands.”

“I’m almost there.” She’d told him.

Her head hurt so bad...sitting up was torture, and the chains that were suddenly wrapped around her arms shouldn’t have been so tight...shouldn’t have been difficult to struggle against. But one arm was useless, and her chest hurt...it hurt so badly she could barely get her breath. It was like breathing through a little tube that was filling up with water. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t fight. “Hey, Stark, you’re going to want to call me back. That is, unless you want us to squish your pet spider.”

That didn’t make any sense. Was he talking to her? Her pain-filled brain refused to make sense of any of that, and as she coughed, blood dripped down her chin. Shuddering at the taste, she let her head rest on her shoulder, cheek against the rough fabric of her suit. When had she lost her mask? Had she already realized that? So they had seen her face?

A phone rang, and through the roaring in her ears, Penny could hear someone talking. Swearing. And then someone grabbed her chin, forcing her head up. “What do you think, Stark? Want her back?”

She forced her eyes open, blinking blearily at the phone a few feet away from her face. Mr. Stark. It was Mr. Stark and he looked so scared. Pale and sweaty and terrified. “If you hurt her I swear…”

“Go ahead.” The guy with the phone said, and then her head snapped to the side, a whimper forced from her lips, more blood dripping down her chin. Someone had punched her in the face. Her nose ached and she realized it was broken. Great...another broken bone to add to the list. She’d have to figure out how to explain this to May...that is, if she saw May again. Some part of her brain told her that the blood dripping from her lips might mean that she’d never see her aunt again. She pushed that thought away. She’d always gotten out of jams before. This would be no different.

“Leave her alone!” Mr. Stark ordered.

“Here’s the deal, Stark. Send us the plans and we’ll send you the kid.”

Plans? She must have missed something. Coughing, she struggled weakly against the chains, but she couldn’t make her body listen. It hurt. Everything hurt. “Mr. Stark?” She asked, spitting blood onto the floor and wheezing. “Mr. Stark?” He wasn’t there...he was angry with her, right? Maybe if she apologized, he would help her out.

“Let her go. If you let her go now, I’ll let this go. No retaliation. Just...let her go. She has nothing to do with this. We can work this out.” He was speaking so quietly...so seriously. She hoped he was okay. Hoped these men hadn’t hurt him too.

“Mr. Stark, I’m sorry.” She choked out, and then there was silence. “I’m so sorry...I shouldn’t have said that stuff...I didn’t mean it.”

His voice went soft. “It’s okay, kid. Don’t worry about any of that. I’m going to come and get you, okay?” He was coming to get her. He would save her. She nodded, eyes closing against her will. Mr. Stark was coming to save her. That sounded good.

The punch to her stomach made her scream, and bright lights exploded in her brain...she could just barely hear Mr. Stark screaming in the distance. Breathing was worse...almost impossible. She struggled weakly against the chains but nothing gave. She was supposed to be strong! Why wasn’t she strong?

Everything had been fine...well...okay. She had felt uncomfortable working with Captain America and Agent Romanoff at first. But they were nice enough, and since they had no idea how old she was, they didn’t question involving her. So for the most part, everything had been fine. He’d given her an order...the three had split up and slipped silently into the building where the arms dealers were working.

But it had been a trap.

Something had stabbed her in the neck. Not a knife...a needle. And that was the last thing she remembered. Where were Captain America and Agent Romanoff?

“You stay away from her! Do you hear me?” Mr. Stark was yelling again, and then something sharp poked her in the throat. Gasping, she slumped in the chair, whining when she realized that just made it harder to breathe. But she couldn’t sit up.

“I can’t...Mr. Stark, I can’t breathe...please…” She whined again, sobbing and dropping her head. So tired. So much pain.

“Please! Please, just...she can’t breathe!” Mr. Stark cried. “Kid, I’m coming, okay? Just...hang on for me! What...what did you give her?”

“Just a little something to help her sleep. We don’t want her getting upset and hurting herself, do we?”

“I”m going to kill you, do you understand me? I’m going to find you and I’m going to kill every one of you.” His voice had gone quiet again. Deadly serious.

They kept talking. She wondered dully where Captain America and Agent Romanoff were. Had they been captured too? Were they looking for her? They’d help too, right? “Where’d you find this kid anyway, Stark?”

Why were they sticking around? Did they think that he wouldn’t be able to find them? Maybe they didn’t know that her suit had a tracker. She certainly wasn’t about to tell them, especially considering how much she needed him to find her.

One of the stages of grief was bargaining...so she bargained. She promised that she would tell him everything...that she’d ask for help. She’d listen to him. She’d stop patrolling and stop holding it against him that he didn’t want to be her mentor. She’d take whatever she could get. If only he would save her, she’d do anything. She didn’t want to die. Not here...not alone, tied to a chair by chains she should have been able to break. Tears were falling, she realized. They dripped down her cheeks and onto the floor as she struggled to sit up.

“Alright, Stark. Enough foreplay. You have ten minutes to send us the plans.” She wondered again what plans they wanted. “If you don’t, the girl dies.” A hand gripped her chin once more, and her head was forced up. She opened her eyes, wondering when she’d closed them, and stared at the screen facing her. Mr. Stark was looking at her. Determined and worried and afraid and so pale...was he okay?

“It’s okay, kid. It’s going to be okay. Just hang on, alright? Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, sir.” She whispered, not able to nod, but the words came out. That was all she needed.

The explosion came five minutes later. She couldn’t get up...couldn’t move. But there was screaming all around her. Screaming and gunshots and it was all so loud. She closed her eyes, remembering how it felt to be a child in a dark bedroom. She would always turn her light out, then leap onto the bed, never risking her bare feet by the bed in case something reached out. Then she would huddle under the covers, sure that if she couldn’t see whatever monsters must lurk in the dark, then they wouldn’t be able to get her. Now she did the same, closing her eyes, sure that she’d be okay if she just didn’t look.

A hand touched her cheek, and she would have jumped out of her skin had she had the energy. Her spider sense hadn’t warned her...which meant it was someone she trusted. Forcing her eyes open, she found Mr. Stark kneeling beside her...and everything seemed to go quiet. “Okay. Okay, kid...just a second. I’m here. I’ve got you. I’m going to get you out of here, okay? You’re alright.” He pulled at the chains on her arm, gripping one in an iron gauntlet, keeping it far enough away from her skin that she couldn’t feel the heat that melted the metal. “I’m here, kid. You’re alright.” He murmured frantically as if he was trying to reassure himself.

“I’m sorry…” She was running out of air and she had to apologize. Couldn’t let him think that she really felt that way about him...that she’d meant what she’d said. She’d apologized when he was on the phone, but she had to do it again. Had to make sure he knew.

“Nope. Don’t be sorry. It’s fine...everything is fine.” He told her, shaking his head without looking up.

“I didn’t want to tell you…” She coughed, flinching when blood sprayed from her lips and dripped onto the top of his head where he knelt over her arms. He didn’t even seem to notice. She wanted to sleep...wanted to close her eyes and give up. But she had to tell him first. “I can’t sleep...every time I close my eyes, I see that building...and I can’t move.” She broke off, sobbing, and he finally got the chains loose, catching her easily when she fell forward, body refusing her commands.

“Okay. I’m here, sweetheart...I’ve got you.” He murmured, wrapping his arms around her. It jostled her broken arm, but she bit back the scream. It wasn’t his fault...she knew he was trying to be gentle.

“I shouldn’t have said…”

“Nope. No more apologies, kid. I’m going to get you out of here now. Just bear with me.”

“I can’t breathe Mr. Stark…”

“I know. Bruce is back at the tower. We’re going to get you all fixed up.” Of course he would. He was Tony Stark. Tony Stark could fix anything. “Don’t sleep just yet, okay? Stay with me.” He picked her up so carefully, pulling her into his arms and making sure her head was resting on his shoulder. Of course, he was careful. He was a superhero. Her hero. But her arm still hurt and she felt herself whimper, jaw tight, face hidden in his metal suit. “I’m sorry. I know it hurts. I’m going to go as fast as I can.”

“I’m so sorry.” She sobbed, hating that she was still crying.

“Don’t be sorry, Penny.” He murmured, making sure to keep his voice quiet as he said her real name. “Cap and Nat are here...they’re taking care of those guys. I’m going to get you back to the tower. You can meet Bruce, and Thor, when he comes back from whatever he’s been up to with Loki.” He spoke so quickly that it was almost impossible to understand. “We’ll have to come up with an excuse to tell Aunt Hottie. But don’t worry, we’ll think of something.”

“I didn’t mean it.” She choked out.

“I know. I know you didn’t. I...I shouldn’t have made you leave, Pen. This is on me. They wanted old Stark Industries weapons and they came after you. I...it’s on me. I should have told you what had been going on. It’s my fault. I’m going to get you better, okay?”

“Mr. Stark?”

“Yeah, kiddo?” They were flying. How long had they been flying? She hadn’t noticed.

“It’s cold.”

“We’re almost there. We’re going to get you warmed up, then I’m going to show you your room at the tower. It’s spider themed...Pepper said I shouldn’t have gone all in on the whole ‘spider’ thing but...hey, when have you ever known me to half-ass something?” She felt her lips turn up in a smile at his weak laugh, the sound almost robotic as it came through his mask. “I can see the tower, kiddo. Bruce is ready to help you. He’s the best, Pen. Then...when you’re feeling better, we’re going to talk, okay? I have nightmares too, you know? But we can fix this.”

“I know.” She murmured, feeling her consciousness slip away. “You can fix anything.” He made a noise....if she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought he was crying.

“Yeah...I can.” Before he could say anything else, she went limp in his arms, sure that she could sleep. He would take care of her. He was Iron Man.

It felt like time was passing. She wasn’t 100% sure how much time, but one moment, she was curled up in Iron Man’s arms, and the next he was putting her down. That hurt. Everything hurt...but something dulled the pain. She was too tired to care all that much about the pain, so she just lay on the soft place and let someone’s hands touch her arms and then her ribs. There were quiet voices and murmured, frantic conversations….machines beeped and people yelled and then something was placed over her mouth. That was the last thing she knew for what felt like a long time.

She woke to silence. Silence and a hand resting on hers. No...not silence. A heartbeat. Breathing. But otherwise, silence. She forced her eyes open, surprised at how much effort that took. Mr. Stark was sitting beside her bed...that was all she could really tell before she had to close her eyes again, groaning softly from the pain in her head. “Hey, kiddo.” He murmured, patting her hand before getting up. Something in the room changed, and she opened her eyes again to find it had gotten darker. Then he moved back to the chair, sitting beside her bed once more. “How do you feel?”

“Um…” She murmured, bringing her left hand up to wipe at her eyes and flinching when she bumped her nose, her movements clumsy and tired. He carefully captured her hand and put it back down at her side. Her right arm was still...heavy. Immobile, and she turned to find that it was wrapped up in a thick red cast. Someone had drawn a spider on it in black marker and she smiled a little. “What...Mr. Stark?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say.” He was teasing, she realized after a moment. But he didn’t seem all that amused. Mostly just sad.

“Are you okay?” She asked, forcing out the words. He scoffed.

“I’m fine, kid. It’s you we’re all worried about.” She blinked, looking back at the cast, then at him. “Wanna hear the damage?”

“Um...yes?” She wasn’t sure what he was asking...her brain felt like it was full of mush.

“Your right arm is broken right below the elbow and you have a compound fracture in your wrist. Luckily you have a scary spider metabolism and super healing, so that should be better in about a week, give or take. Four broken ribs, one of which had punctured your lung which was filling up with blood, which explains why you couldn’t breathe. Also why you coughed up about a gallon of blood before I could get you here.” She doubted it had been a gallon...but he looked scared. Had it really been that bad? “Concussion. Not too bad, but not ideal considering you were bleeding to death. And, to top it all off, they’d pumped you so full of drugs it’s a wonder you were able to stay awake for as long as you did.” He was upset. Frowning, she rubbed at her eyes again as she tried to figure out what was going on. “Oh. And a broken nose.” He grumbled, catching her hand once more.

“I’m sorry.” She murmured, but he shook his head, cutting her off.

“Do not be sorry, kid. This one’s on me.”

“But I said…”

“Bruce said your body was showing signs of sleep deprivation, heightened levels of anxiety, and dehydration.” He told her, cutting her off again. “That last one was most likely because of the blood loss, but the other two...when was the last time you were able to sleep without nightmares?” She shrugged, the movement pulling at her ribs and making her wince. Honestly, she had no idea. “It’s no wonder you said what you did, kiddo. You know what sleep deprivation does? Because I do. Hell, I’ve got the symptoms memorized. FRIDAY’s always reciting them to me when I stay up all night working. Irritability, mood instability, difficulty focusing, depression, fatigue, the list goes on, and it’s worse for teenagers.” She stared down at the bed, struggling to keep up. “I know Bruce has you on some pretty serious pain meds, so you may or may not be keeping up with all this.” She smiled a little, wondering if he could read her mind. “My point is, this is on me. I should have been there. Should have tried talking with you more. I...I suck at this, kid. But I’m going to do better from now on, okay?”

“Okay.” She believed him. He could do anything.

The man chuckled, running a hand over his face. “And we’ll have this talk again when you’re a little more coherent. But we’re going to fix this. I’m going to help you. And if you want, maybe you can spend some more time up here at the tower...make that internship a real thing.”

She smiled for real, eyes closing as she turned her hand over, seeking his. He let her take it, and she squeezed. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Don’t worry about it, kiddo.” He murmured, patting her hand with his other one. “Go ahead and get some sleep.”

So, for the first time in what felt like forever, she did.


End file.
